Love life: like it should be
by Rei Sakura Li
Summary: ATTENTION: Permanently off! I won't be finishing this fic. It was not good, either way. I just don't want to erase it yet...
1. Chapter I

Love life: like it should be.  
  
Ok, ok! Now, let me introduce myself in this first fic of mine! Like I said, this is the first time I write. ever; so don't go criticizing so soon on me. I'll take suggestions, flames & everything that comes in handy (though that doesn't mean that you can go insulting me all around without getting me set on fire!. Anyway, it all depends on my changes of mood ^__~). So, here it goes! Enjoy as much as you can from this crappy writing! I'll have to warn ya: as much as I love English, it's not my mother tongue, soooo. expect some mistakes (if that's the case, please feel free to tell me what I did wrong, so I can correct it!). Before I start with the story and the disclaimer (Oh! And the A/N's, of course), I'd like to thank Mystic for making me do this!!! ^__^ Oh yeah, she made me! By the way, my name's Rei Sakura Li (well, not really, that's my "alias" on the net!).  
  
Disclaimer: Oh, yeah! I don't own 'em! I wish I did! So, anyone out there wanting to sue me. bugger off! I might own their OOC-ness, but aside from that. (God knows what I'd do if I really owned Veggie. he'd only be with me, and no one else!) Besides, think about it, if I really owned them, would Ii be writing these stories? Hell no, by this time what you're about to read would have been part of the anime! (Now's the part where everyone thanx ol' Kami for giving the artist talent to Mr. Toriyama and not to me!) OK, I'M OFFICIALY DOOMED TO SUCK AS A WRITER!  
  
A/N: Obviously a V/B; Yamcha deep down in a trash can; some G/CC & K/18 as the side dish. Some in high school, and some after it! Not quite sure of what'll come out of my head. this is getting written as ideas come to my head, so, expect some possible changes in the plot according to what I'm tellin' ya now! Rating?? Mmm, tough one! Has some cussing, and may have some adult situations, but other than that. Dunno yet. Since I've never written a lemon in my life (just read a lot of them). go easy on me! I'm not sure if I can write one, I'm positively sure that I'm lacking of vocabulary in that department! ^__~ But I'll try coming as close to one as I can, without making crap out of my first "master piece" (yeah, sure! v_v. my ego, I swear, it could kill me!) OK, I'll stop my rambling! Let's get started!  
  
~*~ Love life: like it should be. ~*~  
  
A story by Rei Sakura Li.  
  
I dedicate it to all those romantic souls out there that are waiting for the perfect love to enter their lives. and to my friends Mystic (thanx Viv!), Lucy-chan, Mikki-chan and Monji (Clau ^__~).  
  
*.* = This stands for thinking. "." = This stands for talking. [.] = This stands for my saying stupid things, explaining and stuff that could come in handy at the time.  
  
Chapter I  
  
The alarm clock went off, ringing like there was no tomorrow [God, don't you hate it when that happens?!]. There was some movement under the sheets and then, you could hear the loud thud of someone connecting with the floor.  
  
"Damn. I hate this." mumbled a still fast asleep 18-year-old boy. He got to his feet and started heading for the bathroom (which was connected to his room) in the dark while rubbing his eyes from the sleep. God, did he hit himself!! Yep, you guessed; the door to the washroom was closed.  
  
"Why?! Why does this have to happen to me?! Did I ever do something to anybody to deserve this?!" whined the teenager. Turning the knob with one hand and feeling his nose for any bumps or fractures with the other, he got in front of his mirror, only to admire his ruffled raven black hair (which usually stood in the shape of a flame) and the groggy expression on his face. After sighing several times and resigning himself to the idea of having to go to school, he washed his teeth and face and combed his hair up, the way it should've been.  
  
"What time is it anyway?" he asked aloud to no one in particular (of course, who else would be there?!), while rummaging through his closet to find something to wear for school.  
  
"Twenty to eight." He turned around, only to find his mother Mahan at the door. "Hi sweetheart" she greeted.  
  
He smiled lightly and said "Hi mom. What's up?"  
  
"Oh! I came to tell you that breakfast is waiting for you at the table. Don't be late, ok?"  
  
"I won't mom. Be right down there!" he answered while putting on a simple white T-shirt. His mother smiled to him and left him to his clothing.  
  
Five minutes later we have our Veggie boy dressed with the already mentioned shirt (tucked inside his pants) and some navy blue casual pants on; black dressing boots on his feet and a button-up cotton dark blue shirt, left open. He got to the kitchen, greeted his mom -again- with a little peck on the cheek, "hi-ed" his dad [let's call him Vejita, so that we don't get confused], who was reading the paper, and ruffled his younger sister's -Vega [I love that name for every Veggie's little sister]- hair; then sat down beside her.  
  
"Veggie, when do you finish school? Are ya gonna go to college?" asked Vega seeing her brother inhale his pancakes.  
  
"Well." he said, then gulped down the rest of the food remaining inside his mouth. "I have still about four months to go. After that I have my summer period; and just then will I go to college-." he got interrupted.  
  
"Yeah, sweetie, that'll happen if he passes his exams!" Added his father full of sarcasm.  
  
"Vejita! Leave him alone; he's trying very hard to pass every subject his got." Replied Mahan.  
  
"Father, I'm working on it. I've been lazy before, but I really wanna go off to college." Vegeta finished with his breakfast, wiped his mouth with the napkin and got up from his seat. "Ok, I'm off to school. Come on Vega, I'll take you to yours."  
  
Vega, being the 10-yaer-old that she was, went to primary school near Vegeta's high school. "Ok. Bye mom!", she kissed her goodbye and then went to her father and did the same thing, "bye dad!".  
  
"Bye kiddo!" he pecked her on the forehead.  
  
Then, the two kids left the house. Vegeta got into his car, a fine dark green Rover 45, and drove off, with his sister on the back seat.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Bulma, honey, wake up! It's time for you to go to school! It's already 7:30!" yelled her mother, Mrs. Tess Briefs, from the kitchen.  
  
"Uh? It's only 7:30." Bulma groggily yawned from under the blankets. "Oh God! It's 7:30! And I still have to take a shower!". She ran all around the bedroom trying to find the clothes she'd wear today and basically flew into the bathroom, slamming the door shut in the process.  
  
*Ah! She's already up*, thought her father, the famous inventor Dr. Briefs, as he passed by his daughter's opened bedroom door, in his way downstairs.  
  
Ten minutes later (a record time for Bulma in the shower) our blue-haired protagonist came out of her bathroom with a towel wrapped around her well- endowed body. She put on her panties, her bra and her white tank top, and then pulled on her knee-length midnight blue skirt, that hugged her hip beautifully. Then came her high-heeled blue sandals, and she took off down stairs to eat something, grabbing her white leather coat on the way.  
  
Once down, she ate some toasts, drank an orange juice glass, kissed her father and mother goodbye, and went running to the front door. She suddenly stopped to look at herself in the mirror one more time [the hair, ladies, the hair!], then picked her backpack from the floor and just before exiting through the awaiting open door, she asked "Hey, mom, or dad! When is Alex coming back?"; meaning Alex her six-years-her-senior brother.  
  
"Wednesday, next week, dear!" yelled her mother, still from the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, ok! Thanks! Bye!" and she closed [more like slammed] the door on her way out. Once on her garage entrance, she got out a capsule from her jacket pocket, pushed the button on the side, and let it fall to the ground. There it "puffed" open to reveal a navy blue Mustang.  
  
"Oh yeah, baby! Blue's the color!" And she had her reasons for saying that, due not only to her hair color, but to her beautiful sapphire eyes as well. Bulma got in her car and drove off very fast; she had to get to school on time and had only ten minutes to do so.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
When Bulma got to school, she had only two minutes or so to get to her class or she'd be late. She parked her car between a gray BMW Z8 and a white Isuzu Rodeo Sport.  
  
"All right! Chi and Juu are here! The only thing I have to do is run. before they kill me for being late, yet again!" She grabbed her bag and ran for the school's main building. When turning round a corner she bumped into someone, someone as hard as a rock, and fell to the ground.  
  
"Ow! That hurt! Geez' who put that wall there?", she whined while getting up and rubbing her sore butt. "Sorry 'bout tha-." she stopped upon seeing who she had run into in the hallway. There stood Vegeta stunned, but recovering quite quickly and starting to frown.  
  
"Oh, it's you Vegeta! Sorry. I didn't mean to bump into ya!"  
  
"Sorry?! Woman that hurt! Not much, but geez'! Would it kill you to look up while you're running?!" said loudly a very displeased Vegeta.  
  
"Woman?! Gods, Vegeta! I said I was sorry! And would it kill YOU to call me by my name?! Bul-ma! Bulma!" she screeched upset. "Anyways, where were you going?" asked the girl forgetting about the argument.  
  
"Nowhere in particular, just class. for which you'll be running late if you don't hurry." He said while showing her his famous smirk.  
  
"Oh Gods! Chi and Juu will kill me! I said I'd talk to them before class! Shit, shit, shit!" she cussed as she started running again. "See ya in class! Save me a seat! Will ya?"  
  
"Ok." He replied watching her leave. He turned around and walked again in the direction of his first class. *God, is she nice.* He smiled a small smile at this thought.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Bulma! Hurry! Here you go." said a raven-haired girl while handing her friend a few books. This was Chi chi, one of her two best female friends; hence, she knew her locker combination. She was 18 years old and knew Bulma since they were seven. They had grown up together and each felt the other like a sister. Chi chi had been dating Goku for four years now. Goku, a tall, weird-black-haired man, also 18, was Bulma's best male friend. "We'll talk later. Juu and Krillin already left for their classes. Now go!"  
  
"Thanks Chi! Hi Goku!" She grabbed her books, turned 180 degrees on her heels [pretty tough, if you ask me], and ran back the same way she had come from. "See ya later guys!"  
  
"Hi B! See ya!" said Goku. Then he took her girlfriends hand in his, kissed her lightly and started walking in the opposite direction in which Bulma had taken off running. The bell rang.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Bulma heard the bell and ran faster, if possible for her legs (remember that she had on high heels AND a skirt). When she got to her class the door was still open, which meant that the teacher wasn't there yet.  
  
She sighed in relief. "Great, I made it!"  
  
"Made what? If I may ask Ms. Briefs." Bulma looked backwards and right there, behind her, was her science teacher, Mrs. Isalb. "You didn't happen to be running late AGAIN, did you?" Bulma gulped. "Ah! If it weren't for you being my best student in this class, I'd have to do something about your tardiness, young lady!" She winked at Bulma and proceeded to close the door behind her, as she got in the classroom.  
  
"I'm very sorry Mrs. Isalb. This won't happen again! Thank you very much." Thanked a very relieved Bulma.  
  
"Now, to your seat so that I may start the lesson."  
  
"Yes ma'am!" Bulma walked to the back off the room and plopped down on the seat beside Vegeta's, who, as usual, was smirking at her for pulling that kind of stunts off, at their science group table.  
  
"Nice job, Woman! You almost didn't make it to class! I was betting on you being sent to the principal's office this time." He mocked.  
  
"Bulma, Vegeta. My name is Bulma. I hate it when you call me Woman. It's so demeaning." She growled.  
  
"Ok, ok! So. are we studying tonight or what? You said you'd help me study for my exams and I got a math quiz exam tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah, but let's talk about it later. She's gonna-." she was interrupted by a 'Miss Briefs, Mr. Ouji, would you be so kind as to let me start my lesson?' from their teacher. That shut them up all right, especially Bulma, who was already in a lot of trouble. She and Vegeta turned their faces to the black board and started paying attention to what would be a very easy class for Bulma, and a 'trying-to-get-through-it' class for her companion. And so the day started. Another boring Monday.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
So??? That was it for the first chapter! I know it's a very short chapter, but I just started this fic and I don't want to screw it up. You know? It's very hard! ~snif~ I hadn't pictured it like this! I mean writing! He worst part is that I don't have anything planned, so. This is even harder! I write while ideas come to my mind. I almost messed up in there. ^__^ I promise I'll write another chapter soon. It's 2 a.m. here at home (I live in Argentina), and I'm very tired. Furthermore, I haven't read a single fic the whole day!!!! Besides, I wanna rest so I can write some more tomorrow! ^__~  
  
Ok, I'm going now! Please review! But please don't kill me yet because of the OOC-ness! I really like Veggie better this way! =P I wanna know what you think about this lame fic so far! I'll have to warn ya that you learn almost nothing about the plot from this first chapter. The next one will get more to it. I didn't tell ya this earlier, but it's just a simple romantic story between the end of high school and the beginning of life in college. I'm 18 and about to start my studies in the university, and I'm still hoping to fall in love with a great man. My yearnings and dreams are what I hope this fic will turn out to be, so that Veggie and B-chan fall in love the way I had hoped for me to happen. ^___^  
  
See ya in the next chapter! Kisses and hugs, Rei! 


	2. Chapter II

Hi! I'm back! Ok, first of all, I wanna thank the people who reviewed my first chapter. I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me, 'cause it encourages me to keep on writing (I would have kept it on anyway… ^__~). Thanks again to **_Mystic_**, the one to make me write this and to be one of my first reviewers; to **_MoonlightPrincess_**; to **_hotaru402_** (thanks for the advice, I hope I did better with the summary this time; I really suck at this v_v); to **_Mushi_azn_**; to **_Youko Demon_**; and finally, to **_Claufiles_** (ya liked the teacher's name? ^__^).

I sincerely hope this chapter gets more to the story and ends up being longer than the previous one!

Now on with the story…

~*~ **Love life: like it should be.** ~*~

A story by Rei Sakura Li.

*…* = This stands for _thinking._

"…" = This stands for _talking_.

[…] = This stands for _my saying stupid things, explaining and stuff that could come in handy at the time._

****

Chapter II

"No Chi… I told you already: I didn't go out of the club with that nasty guy on Saturday. I just went back home. Alone."

Bulma was with her two friends waiting in line to get their lunches, and was, meanwhile, telling them about the rest of her weekend. That had been why Chi chi had wanted to talk to her before class this morning. Oh, yeah! She had received her good whack on the head after first period for being late. Chi chi was quite the temperamental kind of girl; and out of the three gals, she was –as one could say- potentially dangerous when angry. Lucky for Bulma, 18 had been there to calm their friend's almost surfacing wrath. And, before any heavy jokes had come out of either Juu's or Bulma's mouths, the boys had stopped by their lockers (all of the six lockers were together, one next to the other) and interrupted them. Soon, all little conflicts had been forgotten. But don't get me wrong, Chi chi wasn't really mad, everything had been more like in a joking manner; no real grudges held.

"Why?! He didn't seem all that bad. He was kind of dull, but he didn't look half as ugly as his partner did" added Juuhachi.

"Guys!" whined Bulma, "why are you so obsessed with finding me a boy?! I mean, not even I am _this_ desperate!"

She was, indeed, the only one without a boyfriend. Not that she needed one at that precise moment, she happened to not want to be attached to any male right now. This doesn't mean that she didn't like men (or, eventually, want one); she did. She just wanted to find the best, the one meant for her; the man that stood up to, at least, most of her expectations. Basically, the guy of her dreams. She wanted to fall in love with him, to have this crazy, perfect love story. Anyway, I'm rambling. Let us get back to the story... 

They got out of the line as soon as they got what, in the school cafeteria, were known as "lunches". While walking back to the table where the boys sat wolfing down their meals, Bulma seemed spaced out, like she were daydreaming or something. All three girls sat down: Chi chi next to Goku, who sat next to Krillin; 18 in front of her boyfriend; on her left was Bulma, seated between her and Vegeta.

"Hey, girl! Snap out of it!" yelled Chi chi, getting the attention of Bulma. The other girl raised her head and, startled, asked "What?"

"Yo, B, you gotta get back to Earth! What's eating ya?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking…"

"About?"

"Nothing big. Um… just the books I'll have to take home with me in order to help Vegeta study. Yeah, that's it" she replied, when, in truth, she was thinking * God, now that I think about it, I'd really like to have a boyfriend. But then again, that's nothing I should rush *.

"Uh huh. Ok, let's say I believe you." answered Chi chi with a voice dripping with sarcasm.

"How's that going anyway? I mean, the studying," asked Juu while swallowing some salad.

"Fine. Veggie-boy here's getting better at it every day. Isn't that right?" she turned to Vegeta.

He lifted his head and looked at her with an expression that said 'call me that again, and see where your damned books end up'; after glaring some more, he nodded his head indifferently and got back to his food.

"Oh, by the way Vegeta, come by at four. And bring your stuff. Ok?" And as answer, she merely got another nod. 

After all the talking was done, everyone resumed eating.

~*~*~*~

Last class of school – Gym. 

"So, Vegeta… What did you do during the weekend?" asked a cheery Goku while doing laps around the track field with his two buddies (and the rest of the male population of the 12th class). Gym had started like forty minutes ago, which meant they had _only _forty more minutes before all of them were allowed to go home.

"Nothing much. After going out with you on Saturday, I got home quite early and watched a movie on TV. And Sunday… I slept, studied some and trained a bit." replied a not-very-interested-in-the-conversation Vegeta. 

"And you, Krillin?" He turned to his other friend.

"I pretty much spent the whole weekend with 18" beamed the short guy with happiness. He and Juuhachi had been dating for a year and a half now and were quite the happy couple.

"That's great man. So are you guys doing good?"

"Yeah, we're excellent."

"Hey, Vegeta-…" -grunt from the latter- "Why is it you haven't got a girlfriend yet? I mean, I know you still got some time, but, do you know if you'll be taking a girl to prom?" asked Goku with doubt arising in his mind. Now that he thought about it [wow! That's a new one for him, isn't it? ^___^ Poor guy, I'm so mean…], Vegeta hadn't dated for a while. And every time that he or Krillin had tried to get him to go out on a date with a girl, either he refused and said he'd rather stay home, or he didn't get to anything serious with her. _Could it be… _

"Dunno." Answered Vegeta, not really paying attention to all this chitchat. 

"Um… Vegeta… say… are you -how to put it- uh… gay?" blurted out a puzzled Goku.

Now this, _this_got his friend's attention; even Krillin's.

"What?!" exclaimed Vegeta, almost stopping his jogging from the shock of having to hear that question from one of his best friends. "Are you nuts? Have you bumped your head or something? Why would you ask 'that'?" * Now, where did _that_ come from? Am I really giving this image? * thought Vegeta, still somewhat worried and peeved. * Fuck. This happens to me because I'm fucking waiting too much for someone special. Why can't some lovable girl just appear in my way? * Just then, Bulma came running to the track –about a few steps ahead of Vegeta- [talking about signs from heaven…^__~] to get the volleyball her team mates had thrown that way during the game. With the ball in hand, she got up from her bent position (which she had taken to pick the sphere) and smiled at Vegeta when he passed trotting by her side. Then she turned and jogged back to the volley court. He just stared backwards in amazement, and then faced forwards. * That smile… so beautiful… * he thought as he kept on running with his partners to his sides. Then he snapped out of it. "What the hell was _that_?! What have I just thought? Oh God! I'm going wacko!" he voiced his ideas… quite loudly. 

"What? What do you mean, Vegeta?" asked a very confused Goku. Vegeta looked at Krillin and noticed that, he too, stared at him weirdly. "What did you just think?"

Vegeta smacked himself mentally. "Uh, nothing! I- I was just figuring-… ya! I was just figuring out what words I should choose to answer your stupid question, so that your barely developed brain wouldn't think any other idiotic thoughts about me." replied Vegeta quickly, taking a stern expression upon his face and frowning at Goku. "You talk as if you haven't known me for a while. No, I'm not gay. I just… haven't had the time or the need for ladies lately. My father has been pestering me 24/7 about my studies, so… I'm studying more at home… to be able to graduate. You know." * Uff! That was close! * Vegeta wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, ever so softly, in relief. 

"Oh, sorry man!" said Krillin, a bit ashamed.

"Yeah. Sorry. Anyway, If you need any girl to take to the prom, I know this chick…" Goku's voice droned away of Vegeta's ears, as the subject got slightly deviated. But now that he analyzed is more closely, he realized that he really didn't have anyone to take to the dance. * Not to worry. I still got four months left to think about that. *

Twenty minutes later, gym class came to an end with the incessant ringing of the bell. Boys and girls walked off in the direction of the locker rooms to get changed and then head home.

For Veggie, though, the day wasn't over yet. He still had to go pick his little sister from school, go home, take a shower, change and go to Bulma's to study 'til she considered he was ready for tomorrow's test.

~*~*~*~

**__**

Before you all go: after my 'goodbye notes' (the ones below) you'll find a table with the schedules of Bulma and Vegeta. I figured you might need them to understand a bit more about their classes, since I have a different concept in school schedules as yours. You won't find either Chi chi's, Goku's, 18's or Krillin's schedules. If they should come to be important at any particular moment in the plot, I'll tell you what it is that you need to know.

Ok, that's it for today! I'm getting the hang of this… so I'll probably have the third chapter up tomorrow or the day after. Not to worry! I'm getting so anxious to get to the exciting part of the story, that I'll start writing non-stop. ^__^ OH YEAH!

Well, next time: study session. Don't miss it! I promise it won't be as dull as this slow, short, miserable chapter! ^__~ Imagine the things that could happen!! [Perverts! Get your minds of _that_! I know what you're thinking, and believe me… that's a no-no] Don't get mad, I'm just toying with ya!

****

Attention: Before I leave, I want to apologize for making Veggie so OOC. I know it's unnatural, but it really is best to have him be this way… at least for the purpose of my story. You see, I have him in my head as a good guy; a bit cranky some times, but good none the less. He might get even _more_ OOC (I need some sweetness in him), but I'll promise (yet again) to make it up to him in as many opportunities as I get in future situations (only when needed). **But otherwise, be warned from now on, you might not like this fic exactly because of this slight change I'm making to his personality. So, if you don't like him the way I'm making him, feel free to abandon your reading of this fic now. Otherwise, you may want to flame me in the future without having paid any heed to my remark!**

__ ****

This table goes from Monday to Thursday (inclusive):

-Monday & Wednesday: they have biology in Science class.

-Tuesday & Thursday: they have chemistry in Science class.

****

Periods ****

Vegeta ****

Bulma **__**

1st (40 minutes) ****

Science (biology: Mr. Isalb) (chemistry: Mrs. Uandal) ****

Science (biology: Mr. Isalb) (chemistry: Mrs. Uandal) **__**

2nd (40 minutes) ****

Mathematics (Mr. Tibur) ****

History (Mr. Peaceman) **__**

3rd (40 minutes) ****

English lit. Advanced (Ms. Aturb) ****

English lit. Advanced (Ms. Aturb) **__**

4th (40 minutes) ****

Social Studies (Mr. Iparf) ****

Math. Advanced (Mr. Tibur) **__**

5th (40 minutes) ****

Study Hall (Mrs. Buschi) ****

Study Hall (Mrs. Buschi) **__**

6th (40 minutes) ****

History (Mr. Peaceman) ****

Social Studies (Mr. Iparf) **__**

LUNCH (50 minutes) ****

Lunch ****

Lunch **__**

7th (40 minutes) ****

Economy (Mr. Odasep) ****

Economy (Mr. Odasep) **__**

8th (80 minutes) ****

Gym (Mr. Sug) ****

Gym (Mrs. Ardnas) 

**__**

This table goes for Fridays:

****

Periods ****

Vegeta ****

Bulma **__**

1st (40 minutes) ****

Geography (Mrs. Deppam) ****

Geography (Mrs. Deppam) **__**

2nd (40 minutes) ****

Foreign Language (Spanish)(Ms. García) ****

Foreign Language (Spanish)(Ms. García) **__**

3rd (40 minutes) ****

Foreign Language (Spanish)(Ms. García) ****

Foreign Language (Spanish)(Ms. García) **__**

4th (40 minutes) ****

Art (Mr. Meyer) ****

Art (Mr. Meyer) **__**

5th (40 minutes) ****

Physics (Mr. Tibur) ****

Physics (Mr. Tibur) **__**

6th (40 minutes) ****

Physics (Mr. Tibur) ****

Physics (Mr. Tibur) **__**

LUNCH (50 minutes) ****

Lunch ****

Lunch **__**

7th (40 minutes) ****

Workshops (Construction) ****

Workshops (Mechanics) **__**

8th (80 minutes) ****

Teams (Baseball) ****

Teams (Lab) 

**__**

Between every period they get a 5-minute recess, to rest, change classrooms and get things out of the lockers. They start school at 8:00 a.m. and get out at 3:20 p.m. (15:20).

Now I'm leaving!

Have my hugs & kisses, and all the luck in the world! ^___^

And for those who plan on reviewing, please do! ^__~

**__**

Rei.


	3. Chapter III

Hi, I'm back! Did I happen to say that it'd take me a day to post the next chapter?! Ha, ha, ha… Well, sorry for taking almost 4 months to do that. Let me explain: I started going to college in March, so most of my time was spent trying to adapt to my new life and trying to keep up the pace. And now I'm happy to inform you that I passed my first three subjects with great grades and that I'm officially on vacations for a month and a half. Yeay! ^____^ I'm quite excited. Being in a good mood broke through my writer's block and my laziness… ¬___¬ So, here you've got me! 

Now, to make up for it, I wrote a long chapter. It's a bit corny, but I think you'll like it. It gets a little more into Bulma's and Vegeta's relationship. So far, I'm going very slowly. I kind of had my eyes set on someone (a very cute boy), but my luck drove him away… v_v That motivated my writer's block to increase. I'm explaining this so that you don't find this chappie weird. It's very hard to restart a writing you stopped a long time ago!

Well, enough of my rambling. Go on and read the story. If you like it, review; if you don't like it… also review! ^___~ Before I go, I'd like to thank the following people who reviewed my crappy story and make some announcements/explanations: **_Claufiles_**, **_chibi saiyan sarah_**, **_Youko Demon_**, **_KamalaKali_**, **_Bulma Briefs^Yue Lover_**, **_maz_** (Viv!) and **_DBZ-fan-JESS_** thank you all very much for reading my fic, it's really encouraging. ^______^ I'm not writing an insight to Bulma's thoughts as off yet; this is, still, more about Veggie. And now that we're talking about him**: I'll apologize now for the inevitable OOC-ness that you'll find here, but believe me it's necessary to my ulterior motives!** I think I explain it a bit in here about Vegeta's behavior, but in case you don't see it, I'll tell you that he behaves in different ways according to where he is, ok? Now that all of that has been said, on to the story…

~*~ **Love life: like it should be.** ~*~

A story by Rei Sakura Li.

*…* = This stands for _thinking._

"…" = This stands for _talking_.

[…] = This stands for _my saying stupid things, explaining and stuff that could come in handy at the time._

****

Chapter III

It was twenty past four in the afternoon. Bulma had just had a bath and was now lying spread on her bed. She was wearing some denim shorts and a white tank top, her usual 'around the house' outfit. That's how she was when the bell rang. 

* Finally * she thought. * It was about time *. 

She went downstairs (barefooted, as always) and yelled, "I'll get it". She opened the door and there, with crossed arms over the chest and the bag on his shoulder, was Vegeta, scowling. 

"Come in" invited a cheery Bulma as she stepped to the side to let him in. Right then, while closing the door, came her mother to greet the guest.

"Oh, hi Vegeta. Have you come to study?" she asked. 

The boy –well, the man, really [and, might I add, what a man! ^__~]- simply nodded his head. 

"Ok, you kids go up. I'll get you some snacks in a few" she added. 

"Thanks mom" said Bulma. "Come on Vegeta. The sooner we start, the faster we'll finish".

And so, they climbed up the staircase and went into Bulma's room. They sat on the king-sized bed. The girl grabbed a note pad and the math book Vegeta handed her, and then laid on her stomach; Vegeta following suit. Both took out pencils and started with some easy problems and equations. 

Twenty minutes later and Vegeta was about to lose his head. He understood every exercise done so far and all the theory, but he couldn't manage to apply all that knowledge by himself! He was gonna drive himself mad! And Bulma, almost 'dead' from boredom, wasn't helping much in the matter. She had explained to him very clearly every step to be followed in doing the practice, but she should've known better: math and Vegeta just _don't_ mix! She didn't know what else to do to help her friend. There was only one thing left to do to regain their concentration and start fresh again, and that was… _to eat_! Oh, yeaaah… eating solves more problems than mathematic calculus [is it said so in English???]. 

"Hey, Vegeta, don't you feel like stopping this nonsense for a while and grabbing a bite of the snacks mom brought for us?" Bulma asked, looking at him with pleading puppy eyes. God, was she starving!

"Ok. But you won't get away from helping me solve these" he said pointing at the notepad. "Please say you'll help me? I mean," he sobered up a little and continued "you know that I suck at this and I can't afford to fail this test… dad's gonna kill me if I do!"

Well… that's a sight you don't get to see every day: Veggie pleading. But, in all actuality, Bulma and Vegeta have a very nice relationship. No, they're not dating [at least not yet… ¬____¬ muahahahaha], but they've been friends for quite a while and have lived as neighbors ever since they met. One has to admit that they were like cats and dogs in the beginning, but the years past and they grew closer. Not a 'Bulma-Chi chi-18' kind of friendship, but one quite as similar in the possible way between the two of them. They were comfortable around each other and could talk about anything (well, everything except those topics that get boys really uncomfortable… n_n you girls know what I mean…). Living beside one another and being that both families knew the other and got along really well, only helped the matter.

"Veg-head, don't worry that much. I swear you're gonna pass that fucking test, no matter what, ok?" Bulma said carelessly (though a bit cranky), getting up from the bed and walking to her desk, where her mom had put the drinks and the food. "Why is your dad bugging you so much, anyway? It's not like you got your grades _that_ low… is it?!" she asked turning around with a cookie in her hand.

"No, not _that_ low. It's just that he wants me to excel at almost everything…" he answered, dropping his pencil and turning around on the bed to lie there, spread out on his back. "I mean, he keeps comparing me to you, saying 'why can't you get as good marks as Bulma? She should be an example to you!', etc., etc., etc." he finished, turning his head in time to see her smug face while she did her silent _'yeah-I-know-I'm-great'_ act. He smiled softly. * I knew she'd do that…* "You're so full of yourself sometimes. Did you know that?"

"Mm hmm" she replied nonchalantly with the cookie inside her mouth. After swallowing she continued, "It's very useful to know how great I am". She winked at him, to add to her mocking-arrogant attitude. "This way I know when I should expect envy from other people", she concluded acting all 'high and mighty'. Vegeta laughed.

"Hey B, would you hand me a Coke and some 'M&Ms'?" She threw him the baggy of sweets and got closer to the bed with the Coke-can in her hand, then sat beside Veggie.

"Here you go. But after this break, we rewrite every formula, you practice with exercises for about an hour and then, we watch a movie. Does that sound ok to you?" she asked and sipped some soda. Vegeta sat up, grabbed the can from her, semi-glared at her saying 'hey, that was mine!', took a sip and answered.

"One hour and a half, and you got yourself a deal. I really, _really_ have to pass the damned test. Mr. Tibur gets a sick pleasure from seeing me fail. He's been trying to squish me all semester with awful quizzes. I tell you, he enjoys it a _lot_!" he said.

Bulma snickered a bit before replying. "Ok. Are ya gonna stay over for dinner?"

"Do you _want_ me to?"

"Don't be dumb. Would I be asking if I didn't? Besides, we could watch the movie up here while we eat! I'm sure mom won't mind!", she answered.

"Ok, then. After we finish studying I'll call home", he returned her the soda and turned sleepily on his stomach on the bed. Bulma put the can on top of her bedside table and turned to her friend. "Hey, B…" came his lazy voice.

"What?" she asked with a suspicious look on her face. Just then, realization hit her. "Oh, no. No. No. No. No Vegeta, I'm not giving you a massage this time! You always tell me _you_'ll rub _my_ shoulders afterwards, but that never happens. You fall asleep every time and that's not fair! I never get a massage!! And remember, you've still got to study" Bulma argued.

Vegeta sat up disappointed. But, he had to face it: she was right. She always got stuck rubbing his shoulders or his back, he then would fall asleep and not wake for several hours. He didn't have that amount of time to waste today. _Maybe, after or during the movie…_ He smirked. * Oh yeah… I'm not about to throw away a _very good_ massage session because of a test. These opportunities don't come along very often *. 

"Ok, let's start studying now so we get to see the movie faster" he replied. Bulma looked at him knowingly. * He'd better not be expecting for me to rub his back later 'cause that's not happening any time soon. I've got to get _some_ one day or another! … Oh God! That could have been _so_ misinterpreted had anyone been listening to my thoughts…" She giggled under her breath as the idea crossed her mind.

And so they got back to the books. Math might be easy for Bulma [no shit, Sherlock! She's in advanced math! Duuuh!], but Vegeta had it bad with it. He had to get an 8 on this test or else he'd flunk the first trimester. _Then_ you'd see his father mad! Man, was he obsessed about his son passing every subject! The truth is that Vejita wanted his son to be able to pick between good universities to attend to when the time came. And for one to have great colleges as options, you have to be great in school. So far, Vegeta was doing the best he could. As a matter of fact, he had an average over 7 in almost every class. _Almost every_, meaning: every class _save_ math, which was on a dangerous 6 below his father's expectancy (he had 'required' from his son a 7 as an average grade).

Bulma, on the other hand, was an A student [ok, now that I've mixed both grading systems, I suggest you go read at the end of the chapter which marks in numbers match which in letters… but that's not really necessary right now, so keep on reading and check it up later! ^__^]. You could say that she didn't need to go to school; she was a genius! But, when given the chance to skip some years of high school and go straight to college, she had refused because she preferred to stay with her friends and the people her age. And she wasn't regretting one bit of it: these 'teen' years in high school had been and would keep on being some of the best of her life [soon she'll see how much better they can get… ¬___¬]!

Anyway, I'm rambling again. On with the story… 

After about two hours and a half of getting everything through ol' Veggie's thick skull, some things stuck there and he finally decided –along with a tired Bulma's approval- that he was more than prepared for his exam. Now, it being almost 8 o'clock, they were ready to eat anything offered and, of course, also ready to rest. So, Vegeta called home and told his mother that he'd be staying over at Bulma's for dinner and a late movie; then, he'd go home. At that comment Bulma interrupted him:

"Hey, Vegeta… When we finish with the movie, it'll be too late. Why don't ya stay and sleep here?" 

He looked up at her standing next to the end of the bed, nodded and started speaking on the phone again. "Mom, Bulma said I could sleep here, is that ok?… Yeah… Uh huh… Yeah, I've got clothes… Yeeeees, in my bag… Don't worry… I won't forget… Uh huh, ok… Love you too. Say good night to Vega for me and say 'hi' to dad for me too… Bye mom, see ya tomorrow". He finished his conversation and hung up the receiver. He then looked at his friend while scratching the back of his head and told her "Remind me to take Vega to school tomorrow morning". [Ain't he sweet with his family?! Aw! I love him…]

"Ok. Now, let's get food in our systems!!", she grinned. Vegeta stood up and both went out the bedroom door and down the stairs. When they got to the kitchen, where Mr. and Mrs. Briefs were, Vegeta greeted his friend's father (as did Bulma). The girl then spoke to her mother. "Hey mom, do you think we could grab our meals and eat them upstairs? We want to watch a movie…"

"No problem, dear. Just make sure you bring the trays back down after you're finished, ok?" the woman replied. She was concentrating on the food she was making on the stove. 

"Thanks mom. Hey, dad?" she said, turning to her father. "Could we finish that project on Saturday? I'll be busy all week". 

"That's fine, darling. But wake up early. That way we work all morning and you have the afternoon to yourself. How does that sound?" he answered, smiling at his daughter. 

Bulma grinned and hugged the man. "Thanks dad! You're the best!"

After waiting ten more minutes –which felt like hours to the hungry stomachs-, both teenagers got their dinners and went upstairs. The ate all through the first twenty minutes of _The Matrix_, then paused it, got their trays down to the kitchen, said their 'good nights' and went back up. Before restarting the movie, Bulma put on her pj's in the bathroom while Vegeta got changed in her room; both cleaned their teeth [kids! Don't forget it's very important to wash your teeth after every meal and before going to bed! ^___^], turned off the lights and climbed into bed [T.T You hentais!! Stop getting _those_ ideas! … At least for a while ^__~ hehehe]. Bulma then pressed 'play' and laid her head on Vegeta's abdomen, while he rested his on some pillows up against the headboard of the bed. 

It was a good movie, but, nonetheless, sleep took over them. Near the end of it, Vegeta looked down on his friend and noticed her asleep. * I knew it! She fell asleep again * he thought as a smile crept on his lips [drooling over here!!! ^____^]. * Now that I think about it, I didn't get my massage *. He sighed while turning off the TV. He then looked back down at Bulma. * God, is she beautiful when she sleeps! Who would imagine this girl to be the same as the banshee she is during the day?! * He smiled again while smoothing –very carefully- some of her blue tresses out of her face. He lowered himself more on the bed to lay on his back with only one pillow beneath him, trying not to disturb the sleeping woman in his arms. Once comfortable, he looked at her again [he's doing that quite a lot! ^__~ Why, God, why?! Why ain't that me?! v_v Sniiiif…]. * I never get tired of being like this with her… * 

This was not the first time he was in this situation, nor the first time thinking that way about her. True, she was his best friend –aside from Goku and Krillin- and they had slept in the same bed a lot of times since they were kids, either in her or in his bed. But in all those years he had never really stopped to think about their 'relationship'. He'd always been comfortable the way it was, and he was sure she thought the same. Never had the famous question 'what if there could be more to this?' crossed his mind, for they were friends; nothing more. But as of lately, he had been having this strange sensation that soon something would change. He didn't know _what_, but something would. So far, it was all the same as always: mock fighting in school –for fun, mostly, and because of their tempers clashes, sometimes-, and getting along very well around friends, family and by themselves. * God! It's too late to be worrying about stupid 'sensations'! I'll think about it tomorrow. Though, still… there's nothing to ponder upon… * Vegeta closed his eyes and started dozing off into sleep. Unnoticed to him, in an unconscious move, he softly placed his arms around Bulma in a protective manner. 

I, being the narrator, am able to tell you that Vegeta's little _'intuition'_ is far from wrong. Things are going to be changing in the months to follow. But I guess you'll have to tune in next time to read about those developings, right? The only thing I can tell you is that it's going to be interesting…

~*~*~*~

Oh my Goood!!! Are Bulma and Vegeta gonna fall in love soon? … I don't know, I haven't got a clue!!! That's not something I should have said, now is it? Hahahaha… I'm kinda writing as it comes to my mind! By the way, **_The Matrix_ does not belong to me! I wish it did, but it belongs to the Wachowsky brothers. **So, don't sue. The thing is… I'm kind of a movie 'freak'. So I _got_ to put some of it in here. **And I don't own _M&M_ or _Coke_ either! **Ok, it's 'til next time around! Ah! Before I forget (though I think I already mentioned it), time is gonna start _moving faster_ in a few chapters. I'm gonna try to give you guys some insight to Bulma's thoughts and feelings, and then _things_ are gonna start happening. ¬____¬ oh yeaaaaah! 

Oh, I was about to forget! In my country, in high school and college, we get grades with numbers, not letters. I don't know how you guys get them, but I'll explain anyway, to clear things up for those that don't know about this. A 10 equals an _A_. A 9 or an 8 stand for a _B_, while a _C_ is something around 6 or 7. A _D_ is like a 5 or a 4. An _E_ is a 3 or a 2, and an _F_ is definitely a 1. So, there you go… 

So, good luck & see ya soon! And for Kami's sake, would you guys stop reading this crap and go do something productive???? ^___~ Like reviewing, for example… hehe.

**__**

Rei. 


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